A Tale of Two Hardware Stores

Monday night, while cooking dinner, I pulled the knob to open a kitchen drawer only to find the knob in my hand and a stripped (and too short) cabinet screw poking out where the knob had previously been affixed to the drawer.

After dinner, I removed the screw and the wooden drawer panel it was holding in place.  The cabinet screw and the knob went into a Ziplock bag and into my purse; the drawer panel sat on the counter.

On the way home from work on Tuesday, I stopped into Hardware Store #1.  The events that followed are best described in the letters and photo I posted on Facebook on Tuesday evening:

Dear Hardware Store #1,

Just because a customer is a woman, you shouldn't presume that she can't understand what you're saying or that you can "put one over" on her. If you'd listened to me, you could have sold me a package of cabinet screws. Instead, I'll never set foot in your store again.

~ Jane.

Dear Hardware Store #2,

Thank you for lettinYYg me explain the problem I was having with one of the drawers in my kitchen. Thanks, too, for taking the time to find just the right size cabinet screw to fix the problem. Next time I need something in the hardware store, you can be sure I'll come visit again.

Your friend,
~ Jane.

As my father is fond of saying, and as the photo above illustrates: “Ente gut, alles gut.”